Key Republican politician opposes pulling out from Iran deal

Rasa - A key United States Republican politician has said the United States should not pull out of the Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

News ID: 437573

Date: 08 May 2018 - 22:04

RNA - Ed Royce, the Republican Chairman of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Tuesday that American diplomats were working with their European allies to prepare measures to remove any shortcomings and "enforce the hell" out of the Iran nuclear deal.

However, he insisted that the country had better not withdraw from the deal which was jointly signed by America's European allies.

“Today, US diplomats are working closely with our European allies on an agreement to increase sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program, strengthen nuclear inspections and fix the deal’s sunset problem,” he said.

Royce, who was speaking hours before Republican President Donald Trump was due to announce whether the US would pull out or stay in the international deal, warned that tearing up the JCPOA was not an option.

Quitting JCPOA would not bring back the money paid to Iran and it would not "galvanize" the European allies of the US into challenging the Iranian government’s efforts.

"I fear a withdrawal would actually set back those efforts," he said in a statement prepared for a hearing on Iran.

Meanwhile, Trump has described the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as the “worst deal ever”, insisting the he must quit the deal and many analysts expect Trump to move toward pulling out of the deal.

According to Press TV, the deal, which was negotiated by President Barack Obama’s administration, has been defended by America's European allies.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have all voiced support for the deal. To get Trump’s approval, the Europeans have expressed the idea of a side agreement to address Trump’s concerns.

However, Trump has informed Macron on Tuesday that the US would not only pull out of the international nuclear agreement with Iran, but also reimpose all the previous economic sanctions, and more.

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